
Israel had initially planned to launch a military operation against Iran in the summer of 2026, but recent developments forced it to accelerate the plan and launch the operation at the end of February, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
According to him, a number of factors influenced the change in plan, including the recent protests in Iran, the US president's stance and the opportunity to coordinate a joint operation.
"What happened inside Iran, the US president's stance, and the possibilities for a joint operation created the need for everything to be accelerated and brought forward in February," Katz said in a statement.
The Israeli minister made the comments during a visit with senior Israeli military (IDF) intelligence officials.
He added that after the "successful" operation during the 12-day war in June 2025, it had become clear that Israel needed to prepare for a new conflict.
"Even then I said and it was clear: we are not fighting the last war, we must prepare for the next war," Katz declared.